Device for producing a continuous tobacco rod



July 24, 1962 w. RICHTER 3,045,681

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO 'ROD Filed Feb. 2, 1960 4Sheets-Sheet 1 w. RICHTER 3,045,681

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO ROD July 24, 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1960 Fig.5

w. RICHTER 3,

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO ROD July 24, 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 2, 1960 DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUSTOBACCO ROD Filed Feb. 2, 1960 W. RICHTER July 24, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4United States Patent 3,045,681 DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCOROI) Willy Richter, Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany, assignor to Hauni-WerkeKiirber & Co. K.G., Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Filed Feb. 2, 1960, Ser.No. 6,240 Claims priority, application Germany Feb. 3, 1959 1 Claim.(Cl. 131--109) This invention relates to cigarette making machines andmore specifically to :a device for producing a continuous tobacco rodfor use in such cigarette making machines.

Cigarette making machines are known in which a tobacco distributor isarranged below a rod-forming mechanism and tobacco supplied by thedistributor is fed by a conveyor to the lower portion of a feed wheelrotating about a horizontal axis in a vertical plane and raises thetobacco to a higher level. This wheel is provided with a circumferentialgroove for receiving the tobacco and for discharging the tobacco at saidhigher level in a continuous stream onto a horizontally moving endlesscigarette rod forming belt.

In accordance with the present invention means are provided at theperiphery of the feed wheel over the region between the distributor anda picker wheel for compacting, holding down and trimming the tobaccolocated in a peripheral groove of the feed wheel, as well as means fordeflecting and/ or leading away tobacco trimmed from the surface of thetobacco stream.

The device for compressing the tobacco, which could for example bedriven at the speed at which the tobacco stream is moved, consists of aroller, in some cases grooved in a peripheral direction, or of severalwheels or discs arranged successively in an axial direction and in somecases with spaces between them. As the means for holding down thetobacco, there are preferably used in accordance with the inventionpretensioned spring elements engaging the tobacco. According to oneexample the initial tension of the spring elements is made adjustable.Preferably the spring elements are pivotally arranged around the axes ofthe rollers or of the wheels or discs.

Further the invention relates to a construction in which the tobaccodistributor is arranged above the rod forming mechanism.

The accompanying drawing shows the features of the present invention inthe form of one example, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic side elevation view, partly in section, of acigarette rod making machine according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the machine shownin FIG. 1, showing details of the tobacco compacting means,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section along the line III-III of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 shows in a sectional view another mounting of the tobaccocompacting means,

FIG. 5 illustrates in a side elevation view the drive for the variousdriven elements of the device shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the drive arrangement looking in thedirection of the arrow P in FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line VIIVII of FIG. 4,and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevational and sectional view of the compactingdiscs looking in the direction of the arrow P in FIG. 4.

FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement for forming a continuous stream oftobacco, particularly cut tobacco, to be used in a continuous cigaretterod machine. An endless "ice tobacco receiving belt 1 is arrangedhorizontally below a feed wheel 6 which rotates in a vertical plane andis supplied at the upper portion of its circumference with to bacco by atobacco distributor 2. The tobacco is supplied in the form of a. showerand drops into a peripheral groove 6a of the feed wheel 6. The bottom ofthe groove 6a is provided with a spiked carding belt 5. Preferably thespikes 5a carried by the belt 5 are arranged in peripheral rows.Obviously other tobacco engagement means may be used in the groove 6a ofthe feed wheel 6 instead of the spikes 5a of the belt 5.

The tobacco engaged by the spikes 5a passes beneath the resser roller 15which compacts the tobacco stream. The roller 15 is driven preferably atthe speed with which the tobacco stream is moved by the wheel 6.Additional compacting wheels or discs 16 (see also FIGS. 2 and 3) extendbetween the rows of spikes 5a of the carding belt 5 and also may bedriven at the same speed as the tobacco stream so that the tobacco isstill further compressed, but some tobacco fibers 24 which are notsufiiciently compacted by this action will still project radiallyoutwardly beyond the tips of the spikes 5a. In this condition thetobacco is held by means 18, which preferably are pretensioned, untilthe tobacco comes into the range of a trimming means, for example arotating cutter blade 17.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holddown means 18 consistsof resilient wires fastened with their bent ends 19a between thecompacting wheels 16 which latter are freely rotatable on a shaft 19 andheld in axially spaced relation thereon by means of spacer sleeves 20.The other free ends of the wires 18 bear yieldingly on the upper surfaceof the tobacco stream compressed by the compacting wheels 16.

Alternatively, as shown in 'FIG. 4, the resilient wires 181 may passwith offset portions beyond the shaft 191 to be attached to anadjustable crossbar 66 as will be described hereinafter in connectionwith FIG. 8. This arrangement is particularly suitable in those cases inwhich the compacting wheels 161 are rigidly connected to the shaft 191and driven with the speed of the tobacco stream. The pretensioning ofthe resilient wires 181 by flexing the same about the sleeves 55 can bevaried by rotatably adjusting the wing nut 27.

Referring to FIG. 3, for producing a certain radial movement of thecompacting wheels 16 the shaft 19 thereof is attached with its ends torectangular guide blocks 21 which are slidable in radial guides 22 inthe machine frame 23 against the actions of springs. The initialpressure of the resilient wires 18 can be altered by rotatably adjustingthe normally stationary shaft 19 in the guide blocks 21.

The tobacco fibers 24 projecting radially beyond the tips of the spikes5a are trimming by means of rotating circular cutters 17 positionedsubstantially in a plane that is tangential to the circumference of thefeed wheel 6.

Any other suitable cutting or shearing means may also be employed. Thecut tobacco drops onto an endless conveyor belt 25 and is returned tothe distributor 2 in any suitable way, for example by being supportedduring its travel between this belt 25 and another belt 26, as shown inFIG. 1. The trimmed tobacco may, however, be supplied to any otherpoint, for example to a collecting container. Instead of the twocooperating conveyor belts 25, 26 any other conveyor means may be used,for example carding belts or suction feed pipes.

The trimmed tobacco between the spikes 5a in the groove 6a is held inplace by means of a curved guide blade 8 until it reaches a rotatingbeater roller 10 which picks the tobacco from the groove 6a andtransfers it to the horizontal endless conveyor belt 1 at approximatelythe speed with which the belt is moved. The conveyor belt 1 transfersthe tobacco in the usual way to a rodforming belt where it meets acigarette paper or other wrapping strip.

FIG. 5 illustrates a positive drive arrangement for the compacting discs161. As indicated in the FIGS. 1 to 3, however, the discs 16 may also bearranged to be loosely rotatable on their supporting shaft. If the discs16 are not positively driven, but are loosely rotatable on the shaft 19,then the drive connection with the driven shaft 45 is not required andcan be omitted, but the remaining portion of the drive arrangementremains unchanged.

An infinitely variable electric motor drives by an endless chain 31 ashaft 32 rotatably supported in the wall W (FIG. 6) of the machineframe. The shaft 32 has attached thereto a gear 33 which meshes with anintermediate gear 34 which in turn engages a gear 36 fixedly attached toa shaft rotatably supported in the wall W. The shaft 35 carries a driveroller 37 which drives the horizontal endless conveyor belt 1. The shaft32. has attached thereto a pulley 38 which by an endless belt 39 drivesa pulley 40 mounted on a shaft 41 to which the beater roller 10 isattached. The mentioned gear 33 also drives by means of a gear 42 ashaft 43 on which the feed wheel 6 is attached and which rotates in avertical plane.

A second chain drive 44 leads from the motor 30 to a shaft 45 on whichthe compacting rollers 15 are secured. In case the device is providedwith driven compacting discs 161, as in FIG. 4, then the shaft 191 ofthe same is driven by means of a drive belt 46 and a pulley 46a from theshaft 45. If, however, loosely rotatable compacting discs 16, as shownin FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, are employed, then this part of the drive, namelythe belt 46 and the pulleys over which it is trained, is omitted. Theshaft 45 drives also by a drive belt 47 a shaft 48, and a gear 49attached to this shaft 48 meshes with a gear 51 on a shaft The roller 52and 53 attached to the shafts 48 and 50 respectively, drive the conveyorbelts 25 and 26 respectively, with the same speed. The shafts 41, 43,45, 48, 50 and 191 are rotatably supported in the wall W andadditionally in a wall W as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

A separate adjustable electric motor 54 of conventional construction isused for driving the rotary circular knife 17.

According to 'FIG. 7 the compacting discs 161, as in FIG. 4, are mountedbetween the sleeves 55 on the shaft 191 together with the wires 181. Thefaces of compacting discs 161 are provided with grooves carryinginwardly projecting keys 56 which engage a longitudinal groove 57provided on the shaft 191 on which the discs 161 are mounted. The shaft191 is, however, freely rotatable in the spacer sleeves 55. The sleeves55 determine the axial spacing of the compacting discs 161 one fromanother and the end sleeves 58 and 59 which have different axial lengthsare interchangeable in order to provide for adjustment of the entireseries of discs 161 on the shaft 191. A set screw 60 in the sleeve 58prevents an axial displacement of the shaft 191. The shaft 191 ismounted in bearing sleeves 61 and 62 arranged in the Walls W 4 and W Oneof the free ends of the shaft 191 has mounted thereon a pulley 46a whichis driven by the belt 46 as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 illustrates in greater detail than FIG. 4 the arrangement of anadjusting device 63 for the flexible wires 181. A cross bar 64 ismounted between the walls W and W of the machine frame by means ofscrews 65. The adjustable cross bar 66 (see also FIG. 4) has attached toits lower surface the ends of the wires 181 and furthermore a bolt 67 isattached to the cross bar 66 which extends adjustably through atransverse bore 68 (FIG. 4) in the fixedly mounted cross bar 64. Thefree end of the bolt 67 has attached thereto a wing nut 27 and betweenthis wing nut 27 and the fixedly mounted cross bar 64 is arranged acompression spring 70. It is obvious that upon an adjustment of the wingnut 27 the cross bar 66 with the wires 181 attached thereto is adjustedin a direction to flex the wires more or less around the sleeves 55mounted on the shaft 191.

What I claim is:

In a device for producing a continuous tobacco rod, a feed wheelrotating in a vertical plane and provided with a circumferential groovefor receiving tobacco, a tobacco distributor arranged above said feedwheel for supplying the groove in the latter with tobacco, a belt with aplurality of rows of tobacco engaging pointed members at the bottom ofsaid annular groove, rotatable tobacco picking means adjacent the lowerportion of said feed wheel for removing the tobacco from said groove, anendless conveyor for receiving the tobacco removed by said picking meansand arranged below said feed wheel, means arranged adjacent theperiphery of said feed wheel and between said tobacco distributor andsaid picking means for compacting and holding the tobacco in saidgroove, and means for trimming the tobacco which after compacting ofsaid tobacco projects from said groove, said means for compacting thetobacco in said groove comprising a plurality of circular compactingdiscs and a common shaft on which said discs are mounted in axiallyspaced relation, while said means for holding the tobacco comprisepre-stressed spring wire elements engaging the top surface of thetobacco in said groove, and means for pivotally attaching one end ofsaid spring wire elements to said common shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2311,947 Allison Sept. 7, 1880 255,494 Curtis et a1 Mar. 28, 1882548,686 Williams Oct. 29, 1895 2,169,582 Dearsley et al Aug. 15, 19392,195,780 Muller Apr. 2, 1940 2,660,178 Rault Nov. 24, 1953 2,938,521Lanore May 31, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 240,574 Germany Nov. 7, 1911 K24,793Germany July 26, 1956 III/79B I

